Rojas, Gabriel de SUMMARY: The present article proposes that the Silvia type vessels of Cholula, 1927 Descripción de Cholula, Revista Mexicana de Estudios Históricos, tomo I, núm the ones that show in a sign off our interlaced scrolls, which are relatively 6, UNAM, México, D F , pp 155–169 abundant in the archaeological record, could have served to contain offerings. Rojas Martínez Gracida, Araceli In support of this interpretation, the attributes of these ceramics are described 2006 Los antecedentes del Estilo Mixteca-Puebla: cosmovisión e ideología a través and the iconography of this motif, based on the interpretations of specialists de la Cerámica Tecama de Cholula Tesis de licenciatura en Arqueología, De- in Mixtec codices such as Alfonso Caso, Ferdinand Anders, Maarten Jansen partamento de Antropología Universidad de las Américas, Puebla, Cholula and Aurora Pérez Jiménez, is analyzed. Sahagún, Fray Bernardino de 1992 Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España Editorial Porrúa, México, ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: In diesem Beitrag schlägt die Verfasserin vor, dass die DF Keramikgefäße vom Typ Sylvia aus Cholula mit einer Bemalung, die vier Sejourné, Laurette ineinander verwobene Voluten zeigt und die im archäologischen Befund 1970 Arqueología del valle de México, Culhuacán, INAH, México, D F 1983 Arqueología e historia del valle de México, de Xochimilco a Amecameca sehr häufig sind als Gefäße für die Aufbewahrung von Opfergaben gedient Siglo XXI, México, D F haben könnten. Um diese Hypothese zu unterstützen werden die Attribute Smith, Michael y Frances Berdan der Keramik beschrieben und die Ikonographie der verwobenen Bänder 2003 Postclassic Mesoamerica En: The Postclassic Mesoamerican World, editado wird auf der Grundlage der Deutungen zentralmexikanischer Ikonographie por Michael Smith y Frances Berdan: 3–13 University of Utah Press, Salt von Spezialisten wie Alfonso Caso, Ferdinand Anders, Maarten Jansen und Lake City Aurora Pérez Jiménez untersucht. 4HE #ULTURAL -ODIlCATION OF 4EETH BY THE !NCIENT -AYA ! 5NIQUE %XAMPLE FROM 0USILHA "ELIZE 'EOFFREY % "RASWELL AND -EGAN 2 0ITCAVAGE Since 2001, the Pusilha Archaeological Project has investi- eighth century A.D. Although the burial itself is quite simple, gated ancient economy and political history at Pusilha, Toledo cultural modifications to the deciduous teeth of the child are District, Belize (Bill and Braswell 2005; Braswell et al. 2004, unique in Mesoamerica. 2005; Braswell and Gibbs 2006). Located in the southwestern corner of the country, a mere 1.5 km east of the border with Guatemala and within the Q’eqchi’ village of San Benito Poite, Pusilha is the largest ancient Maya city of southern Belize (Figure 1). Although we have uncovered archaeological evidence of Postclassic settlement, major occupation of the site was limited to the Late and Terminal Classic periods, especially the eighth and early ninth centuries A.D. Project members have surveyed approxi- mately 2 km² of the settlement, which we estimate to have been between 5 and 6 km² in area. During survey, 105 structural groups— containing a total of about 500 mound and terrace features—have been mapped. In 2002, we conducted a test-pitting program designed to recover a representative sample of ceramics and other artifacts from different portions of the ancient city. In 2002, 2004, and 2005, we conducted extensive horizontal excavations in seven structures and tested an eighth platform. Throughout our project, Christian Prager, co-di- rector and project epigrapher, has drawn, cata- loged, and analyzed the extensive hieroglyphic corpus of the site (Prager 2002). Figure 1. Map of Pusilha, Belize, showing location of Gateway Hill Acropolis and In this report, we discuss the burial of a Lower Group I. Scale is in meters from the site datum. Other sites mentioned in the 24 young child who died at Pusilha during the text are shown in the inset. MEXICON Vol. XXXI Februar 2009 the stair and the central axis of the platform (Figure 3). Although no ceramics were found within Burial 5/1, we date it to the eighth century because there is no evidence of either earlier or later activity in Lower Group I. Burial 5/1 consists of the fragmentary re- mains of a child who wore a necklace made of small shell disks (Braswell et al. 2005). Cranial fragments were found at the south end of the burial, which is highly unusual for Pusilha. In most cases, individuals were buried with their heads to the north. #ULTURAL -ODIlCATION OF $ECIDUOUS 4EETH Osteological investigation of the remains was limited due to the poor preservation of skeletal material. Few elements could be precisely identified, but it appears that the majority of the body is represented. The best preserved features are the teeth. Permanent dentition was found within the mandibular crypts. Fifteen de- ciduous teeth were found, but most were loose. The only missing deciduous teeth are the upper central incisors, the lower right central incisor, and the lower second molars. Dental development suggests an age at death of between four and five years. A highly unusual characteristic of this burial is Figure 2. Location of 14 burials (black dots) excavated at Pusilha during the the cultural modification of the deciduous upper 2004 and 2005 field seasons. Insets show the south end of the Gateway Hill lateral incisors. The distal corners of both teeth Acropolis and Lower Group I. appear to be filed (Figure 4). Lori Wright (personal communication, 2008) cautions that for deciduous incisors, it is easy to misidentify uneven wear of the 0USILHA "URIAL mammelons as examples of filing. Nevertheless, the Investigations conducted in 2004 and 2005 focused on struc- attrition on these two teeth is symmetrical, strengthening the tures at the southern end of the Gateway Hill Acropolis and hypothesis that they are the result of cultural practice. in Lower Group I (Figure 2). During excavation of these two An absolutely unique aspect of this burial is that these two groups, a total of 14 burials containing the remains of 19 indi- deciduous teeth were outfitted with inlays. Schwake noted viduals were found associated with four excavated platforms this unique feature in the field during excavation. The right (Braswell and Gibbs 2006; Braswell et al. 2004, 2005). lateral incisor still retains its jadeite inlay, but the left inlay Lower Group I is a moderate sized plazuela group located was not recovered (Figure 4). Assuming that the distal filing is 150 m southwest of the Gateway Hill Acropolis. The quality intentional rather than uneven wear, the combination of inlays of the architecture, location of the group near the acropolis, and filing are an example of Type G10 in Javier Romero’s and quality and variety of artifacts found during excavation (1970) typology of dental modification. suggest that the inhabitants of Lower Group I belonged to an The modification of deciduous dentition was extremely elite but non-royal social stratum. With the exception of two rare in ancient Mesoamerica. In his comprehensive study of potentially Early Classic sherds found within the fill of the western platform (called the Op. 7 Structure), all ceramics re- covered from architectural fill, slump, floor, and even surface contexts within Lower Group I date to Tepeu II times. Four ceramic vessels recovered from Burial 6/1 also are assigned to this phase. Excavations throughout the architectural group, therefore, reveal that it was built, occupied, and abandoned between about A.D. 700 and 780, and that its inhabitants were non-royal elites. The Op. 5 Structure is located on the eastern edge of Lower Group I (Figures 2 and 3). Two burials were found in this platform and were excavated by Braswell, Sonja Schwake, and project co-director Cassandra Bill. Burial 5/2 was encountered eroding out of the surface of the north end of the platform. No burial goods were found. The dentition of this juvenile suggests an age at death of 10 to 11.5 years (Pitcavage 2008). Burial 5/1 was found in a poorly repaired Figure 3. Plan of the Op. 5 Structure showing the locations of break in the western wall of the Op. 5 Structure, just south of Burials 5/1 and 5/2. 25 MEXICON Vol. XXXI Februar 2009 trauma consistent with a violent death, but again we cau- tion that remains are very fragmentary. The burial was cut into a previously existing structure, which does not suggest a dedicatory event. For this reason, we do not consider it likely that the child was sacrificed and buried as an offering. Instead, the context of the burial suggests that the child died and was interred beneath the floor of a pre-existing habita- tion structure. It is important to stress that the modified teeth were not found embedded in the maxillae. It is therefore conceivable that these two deciduous teeth had already fallen out and were modified either before or after the death of the child and were interred as grave offerings. Nevertheless, the age at death estimate suggests to us that this is highly unlikely. Moreover, the modified teeth were found in close association with the cranial remains. Most striking, the teeth have full and complete roots (Figure 4). In contrast, the roots of deciduous teeth are resorbed as permanent teeth begin to erupt. For these 0 1 cm reasons, we do not consider it at all plausible that the two Figure 4. Deciduous upper lateral incisors from Pusilha Burial 5/1. incisors were modified after falling out. Distal corners are filed and both teeth have been drilled for inlays. The fourth and most likely possibility is that the two teeth The jadeite inlay is still present in the right upper lateral incisor. were inlayed after death but before burial. The combined pat- tern of distal filing might be viewed as forming a large T or dental modification in prehispanic Mexico, Romero (1958: shark’s tooth from the upper incisors.